


my love is like a star

by midnightsroses



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Abusive Parents, Alternate Universe - High School, Childhood Trauma, F/F, Repressed Memories, Stargazing, Teenage Rebellion
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-08
Updated: 2020-02-08
Packaged: 2021-02-27 23:07:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,085
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22613830
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/midnightsroses/pseuds/midnightsroses
Summary: Emma and Regina each live extremely different lives until they meet during an escape from their troubled homes.
Relationships: Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Emma Swan
Comments: 1
Kudos: 18





	my love is like a star

"Shit." Emma mumbled to herself as she heard a car parking downstairs. She was going to sneak out to visit this old abandoned house on the hill like she used to with her mother before she passed away. It hurt her father too much to talk about her mother so all she could do was hold on to every single one of those memories she can grasp. Some of them were beginning to fade away into nothingness and she knew that seeing those halls again would bring them back.

Those pale white walls lightly peppered with gold decor, the smell of lavender and roses from the enormous garden surrounding the house and the echoing laughter of an innocent child and her mother; oh, the things she would do to have all that back. Now all she could feel was this vast emptiness in her heart. She no longer attached herself to people knowing someday they won't be there any longer. Embracing the darkness within her she became someone else and that little girl in blonde pigtails wearing a pastel pink dress while running under the sun was gone- or at least she thought she was.

Moments after, the car left and she felt a slight relief. She checked around to see if anyone would notice her exit. "If anyone catches me, I'm dead" she whispered. She tied a rope to her bedpost and opened a window. After making sure everything was secure, she jumped down and hoped for the best.

*thud* She safely landed on a patch of grass. Scurrying away from the house, she smiled and congratulated herself on a successful escape. Everything suddenly felt so light. Emma has left her house multiple times before, but this felt different. It was an escape from the clutches of a painful reality into a few moments of sanctity in a world of fantasy. This would only go on for so long so she decided not to dwell on the things she left behind and just enjoy the couple hours away she bought herself.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the neighborhood lives a wealthy young girl about her age. Her name was Regina and she was the youngest daughter of the Mills family. They lived on the hill on the opposite side of town. Everyone admired Regina for her intelligence and skills. People at school wished they could be a Mills; they were rich, famous, respected, they were perfect.

"Regina, go to bed! You'll be late for school tomorrow!" her mother shouted. The next day was a Saturday, yet she still had classes to attend to. Reluctantly she followed the order and went to her bedroom. Lights were out and everything was quiet besides the soft whimpering sounds she couldn’t stop herself from making.

Thoughts, feelings, memories all racing in her head. "I can't stand another night here in this hellhole," she said to herself. An idea sparked, what if she left even just for tonight? She peered out the window from behind the curtain into the world just right outside her door. It's been a dream for her to leave without an agenda, to run without being chased, to live life as herself. "Tonight, will be the night," she encouraged herself.

After grabbing a small backpack with everything she could need, she carefully placed pillows under the sheets to look like her. She carefully walked out the door and headed to the back exit. Footsteps were moving to and fro just a few meters away; it was coming from the guards. She now had to find a way to get out without getting blocked by the four men standing outside the door.

Emma just arrived at the fountain where she used to dance with her mother. It was still standing, but water no longer ran through it. Fragments of her past were slowly coming back. The sound of coins dropping in the fountain as an innocent little child wished for the simple things in life. Years back she would wish for a new pair of shoes, a dollhouse or maybe even a stuffed animal to cuddle in her sleep. Now all she wanted was someone to love and care for her.

She wanted eyes to look at her and sparkle as if they've seen the world in all its beauty. Those same eyes to see her imperfections and hold on to them as treasures instead of use them as knives to slice deeper into her heart only to break it painstakingly slow. Hands to hold hers during the cold winter nights, a hand to wipe away the tears that roll down the edges of her crooked smile.

Just a few more steps before she reached the gates and she could already feel her heart getting heavy, her head pounding and her chest tightening. What that feeling was inside of her? she didn't know. Wondering and wondering until something within her snapped, a tear dripped down her face. This feeling was grief, pain. A raging energy flew through her veins like never before. She didn't understand any of it, but she felt powerful and powerless all at once.

The guards were switching shifts, so Regina took this as an opportunity to run out the door. She made it to the other side. All that was left now was for her to leave the premises and do whatever her heart desired.

Regina then climbed up the tall metal gate and leapt down. After running to a safe distance, she sat down to take a breather and just admired the night sky.

Emma turned on her flashlight and opened the doors. Regina could see a faint light atop the hill. Curious, Regina then wanted to see where it was coming from.

Emma wandered around the halls remembering all the time she used to spend there. She could see visions, visions of that happy little girl. The girl that would sing along and dance to the music was now the girl that would cry along to the saddest of songs. The girl that used to paint flowers and happy faces became the girl that drew her feelings of despair. Everything she used to be just seemed so distant, as if she were a completely different person.

Looking back at all of it, that little girl wasn't even all that happy as she remembered. All the caged memories locked in a vault in the deep corners of her mind were open and wreaking havoc on what she believed was true.

Yes, she did listen to music and paint colorful flowers but only to drown out the screams of pain behind closed doors, to cover up the withering of her innocence. The vision of a happy child she once had was now stained and almost torn completely into two. She could barely even speak of the word happy thinking of the fact that she never really knew how it felt.

As she walked around the house a memory of a place suddenly appeared in her head. It was a room made mostly of glass, it had moonlight seeping through the glass and lighting up the place, it had a giant telescope they used to view the stars with. "What's that place called again?" she asked herself. "The planetarium!" she whispered as the answer to her question came to thought.

Regina arrived at the bottom of the hill the house stood on. "You'll be fine, you'll be fine, you’ll be fine" she said over and over again to herself. She was worried, yet her curiosity overpowered every other rational decision in her mind.

She neared the entrance and entered the house. Regina questioned everything about what she was doing, but it just felt right. It felt as if something was drawing her there; like an invisible force telling her to follow the light that brought her there in the first place.

There were now two lost girls both looking for a path to follow in the halls of an old abandoned home. For years and years past it was home to nothing but the dust collected by the vases on the tables and the butterflies that flew around the winding flowers growing around the posts. Now it served as a home to the two girls’ bruised hearts and

Emma finally arrived at the planetarium. It looked almost exactly the same as it did before. The glass had a few cracks that let in more light than the rest of the window did, the metal post that kept the place from falling into shambles was rusty and the old telescope was covered in cobwebs and mounds of dust. She brushed off the dirt on the telescope as she examined its condition. As she looked through the glass, she wiped her dust covered hands on her jeans not at all caring that they'd get dirty.

The blonde was lost in nostalgia. Regina heard the high-pitched sound the metal made when Emma adjusted the telescope to face the moon. Itching with curiosity she followed it and peeked through the crack in the wall to see who was inside. Regina marveled at the gorgeous sight. The stars? the moon? the dark night sky? Yes, they were all beautiful but the woman looking through the glass was what caught her eye.

Tempted to enter the room and start a conversation, yet bested by her own anxiety. She stayed at the door still slightly panting from her long walk. The brunette accidentally knocked over a small book resting atop one of the tables. Emma was unaware of her presence and went to check what had happened that created the sound.

Emma looked out the door and just stopped. She was astounded. Regina was one of those students at school her dad would compare her to and seeing her in front of her like this was different. Emma always saw her as competition, as someone she had to be better than. Here only a few meters away, she was a person just like Emma.

> “Reg-Regina...?” Emma stuttered in her speech still dumbfounded and confused.
> 
> “Yes?” Regina said reaching forward to shake Emma's hand.
> 
> “You don't have to, they’re kind of dirty” the blonde said.

‘I did not just say that to one of the HBIC at school; “GET IT TOGETHER SWAN!’ she scolded herself. They both stood a few feet apart awkwardly smiling at each other, neither knowing how to start a conversation.

> “Anyways what are you doing here?” Emma asked Regina.
> 
> “I just needed a little break from home.” Regina answered back.

Emma never thought about how Regina was doing at home since she always seemed so happy and perfect and all that. Now she was getting invested but still careful not to rock the boat too much.

> “My overbearing mother just won’t let me live and I felt like going outside of that prison of a mansion would help me” Regina continued.
> 
> “Oh, I'm sorry to hear that” Emma responded.
> 
> “My apologies, I don't even know why I'm telling you this when we barely know each other” she said with a sigh.
> 
> “No, it’s alright; I get it, no worries at all. I’m sorry, I feel like I’m rambling…bothering you I mean, just uhm tell me when to stop talking.”

Regina had no intentions of telling the blonde to stop talking. Her voice was a good and refreshing sound. After hearing only her mother yelling for what feels like ages, this calm voice speaking to her was so soothing.

> “It’s okay. You aren’t bothering me at all…This is actually kind of helpful. I also don’t think I’ve caught your name; you clearly know mine so it only seems fair I know yours.”
> 
> “Emma, Emma Swan.”
> 
> “So, Miss Swan what brings you here?” Regina asked trying to put back up the wall she set.

Then there was a soft sound, it was unexpected and caught her off guard. Emma laughed. The sound was pure, sweet and gentle. It put her words to a halt; she was left almost stuttering. She was both amused and confused by the laughter.

> “We are meeting in an abandoned mansion on the shady side of town, I’m not really one for formalities Regina.”

Regina blushed in embarrassment; Emma saw a short glimpse of the true her and there was no going back. The towering brick walls she spent years building just seemed to crumble and fall in front of Emma. There was something about her, something unique or maybe even special.

**Author's Note:**

> I will try to keep this updated hopefully at least once every week or two and I hope that you all like it. Please bear with me since I'm not a fast writer so the updates may be a little short.


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